the act of taking revenge
(Revenge means to harm someone to get them back for something harmful that they have done.)

She studied it with a kind of passion, as though it were some weapon she had slowly fashioned for her vengeance.

Of course it was shocking for a married woman to borrow money—and Lily was expertly aware of the implication involved—but still, it was the mere MALUM PROHIBITUM which the world decries but condones, and which, though it may be punished by private vengeance, does not provoke the collective disapprobation of society.

Show more

You can’t want to take such a vengeance as that.

There are no more uses of "vengeance" identified with this meaning in the book.

Show samples from other sources

Most Americans wanted vengeance after the 9-11 attacks.

Her evolutionary benefit theory of vengeance is supported by studies showing that a person’s desire for revenge increases when others see their mistreatment.